We slipped out of the cozy warmth of the Rynd cottage, pulling our heavy cloaks tightly around our shoulders as we stepped back into the cool, shadowed streets of Karama Village. The night air was crisp, and the faint, rhythmic rustle of the surrounding forest served as a sobering reminder of the wilderness pressing against the village borders.
Seeing the pure, fragile domestic peace Elias had built here… a life completely detached from the bloodshed and political schemes of the capital… had stirred something deep inside my chest. It made me look at Elicia, walking with her usual graceful, unyielding stride right beside me. For weeks, we had been frantically running from the Bureau, focusing entirely on my trauma, my*
broken body, and my transformation into the feared Phase 5 demon. But I had never stopped to ask what her path had looked like before we crossed swords in the rain.
I pulled my hood a bit lower over my jade and crimson eyes, my voice cutting through the quiet night in a smooth, quiet whisper.
"Big sister... before you left Town Allure, before I became the blood-sucking winged demon... what did you do for the past few months?" I asked, looking sideways at her. "I already told you everything that happened to me, the agony and the contracts. So, it's your turn. How did you get from our small town to the grand spires of the capital?"
Elicia stopped walking for a fraction of a second, her silver hair shimmering in the faint moonlight. A flicker of profound guilt and heavy nostalgia passed over her elegant features before she let out a soft, melancholic sigh.
"You're right, little Ren, It's only fair that I tell you. When I left Town Allure, my goal was never to become some widely popular, legendary figure. I just wanted to use my innate human skills for our own good… to build a foundation strong enough to lift our family out of the dirt. But to do that... I left you in charge of the meat shop all by yourself. I was so blinded by the future that I didn't see the crushing pain you were hiding right in front of me. I didn't know what you were sacrificing to keep the shop running." Elicia said softly, her voice filled with a deeply personal, sisterly remorse.
She shook her head slightly, clearing the heavy memory, and continued walking down the dirt path with me.
"As I finally arrived in the kingdom of Caria, my raw magical aptitude caught the attention of the high-ranking guilds immediately. Because of my high mana density, I was instantly scouted and sent into a prestigious, large-scale raid party. Back then, the kingdom was facing a massive threat in the northern peaks… we were tasked with slaying a legendary, ancient dragon."
A faint, confident smile finally returned to Elicia's lips, the pride of a truly god-tier mage flashing in her silver eyes.
"The battle lasted for days, Ren. The beast's flames melted solid rock, and the shockwaves alone would have crushed normal vanguard soldiers into dust. But because of my continuous-healing ability and my specialized area-of-effect barriers, my party was practically immortal. No matter how deep the dragon's claws tore, or how fiercely its fire burned, my magic restored their flesh and replenished their stamina the exact microsecond they took damage. We brought the beast down without a single casualty."
"Because of that sudden, overwhelming reputation, everything shifted overnight. I hadn't just saved my high-tier raid party from being completely incinerated into ash by the dragon's breath; by bringing that beast down before it could cross the mountain peaks, we had effectively saved the entire country from a massive, widespread catastrophe. All those grueling years of brutal, ceaseless magical training I forced myself through back at our household had finally, undeniably paid off. I was no longer just a common healer trying to scrape together a living." Elicia continued, her voice dropping into a rhythmic, deeply reflective cadence as we navigated the darker, quieter alleys of Karama Village,
She let out a soft, almost bitter chuckle, her gaze rising toward the vast, starlit sky that stretched infinitely over the northern woods.
"Because of that singular, monumental victory, the higher-ups in the kingdom completely fast-tracked my status. Before I could even fully process the fame, I was officially appointed as the Principal of the prestigious Sisiphon Magic Academy, handed the reins to the most powerful magical institution in the land. And the LKBA Bureau... well, they love their grand, sweeping titles. They officially bestowed upon me the moniker of the 'Offspring Goddess.' It's funny, right? A title so detached and divine, given to someone who was just desperately trying to secure a future for her family."
Elicia turned her head slightly, her silver eyes locking onto the heavy shadow of my vanguard hood, where my mismatched jade and crimson eyes glinted in the darkness.
"But the public and the rumor mills of the capital are always chaotic, while the nobility calls me the Offspring Goddess, the common folk and the lower guilds often identify me by our brother's reputation. They know Elias by his Luminous Knight alias… the Shadow Walker. So, paired with my role as the older sister who watches over him from the academy spires, some corners of the kingdom simply refer to me as the Shadow Walker's little sister. They weave these intricate family legends about us, entirely unaware of the actual reality we live." she murmured, her expression softening with a touch of protective irony.
She paused, her hand reaching out from beneath her elegant uniform cloak to gently rest on my shoulder, her touch warm and grounding against my dark dress.
"They built me up into a goddess, and they built Elias into a legendary shadow in the dark. Yet, the moment you were forced to change, the moment you became the blood-sucking winged demon, the Bureau forgot everything our bloodline had given to this country. They didn't see the sister who held Town Allure together. They just saw a threat, slapping that absurd, terrifying bounty of eighteen gold coins on your head."
Elicia's fingers tightened slightly on my shoulder, her unyielding, god-tier mana humming just beneath the surface of her skin, a silent promise of absolute protection.
"They think they can hunt the sister of the Offspring Goddess and the Shadow Walker. They have no idea what happens when our family actually stands together."
We finally cleared the outer perimeter of Karama Village, the faint lights of the cottages fading into the dense, cool darkness behind us. Before we stepped completely into the wild, Elicia reached into her cloak and pulled out my leather purse. She opened it up, counted out exactly twenty copper coins, and handed them to me with a faint, amused smile.
"Your allowance, little Ren," she teased gently, passing the pouch back into my possession now that our public errands were officially over.
I took the purse, slipping it securely onto my belt as we plunged deep into the thick, overgrown northern forest. We walked until the ambient sounds of civilization completely vanished, replaced by the deep, heavy silence of the untamed woods. Out here, beneath the sprawling canopy of ancient trees and thick brush, there wasn't a single soul alive to witness the monstrous, awe-inspiring physical traits I had been forced to inherit.
I stopped in a small, moonlit clearing. Reaching up to the collar of my dark vanguard cloak, I unbuttoned the heavy silver clasps and let the fabric drape loosely over my arms. With a sharp, rhythmic flex of my back muscles, the hidden flaps of my dress burst open, and my massive, crimson-feathered demonic wings unfurled to their full, predatory wingspan. They beat against the cool night air once, creating a sudden, powerful backdraft that rustled the surrounding leaves.
Elicia stared at the magnificent, slightly terrifying appendages, her silver eyes reflecting the deep crimson hue of the feathers. Rather than showing a single shred of fear, a thoroughly amused, bright grin broke across her elegant face.
"My, my,"
Elicia chuckled, stepping forward completely unfazed by the intimidating aura of a demon. Without a hint of hesitation, she nimbly scrambled up onto my back, locking her arms securely around my neck and wrapping her legs around my waist.
"Seeing my little sister… the fierce, hunted demon of the continent… suddenly become my personal aerial transport is honestly hilarious. I could certainly get used to this kind of luxury."
I let out a soft huff, a rare smile tugging at the corner of my lips despite the slight indignity of being used as a mythical mount by my older sister. I adjusted my grip, ensuring she was locked tightly against me so the intense g-force wouldn't dislodge her from my spine.
"Hold on tight, big sister, next destination... Caria." I said, my voice dropping into a firm, powerful cadence as my jade and crimson eyes locked onto the distant, starlit northern horizon.
With a massive, explosive downward sweep of my crimson wings, the ground beneath us shattered into a cloud of dirt and leaves. I launched us straight up into the night sky, instantly shattering the treeline. Handling my big sister's weight with the raw, monstrous strength of my demonic core, I soared higher into the clouds, the wind roaring past our ears as we flew directly toward the heart of the kingdom.